CouchOtter
Roller Poster
I took my GoPro to Six Flags Magic Mountain for the opening day of their new drop tower ride, the 400' Lex Luthor Drop of Doom.
As I waited for the main gates to open, I struck up a conversation with the woman next to me. She said her name was Nic, and she reintroduced me to a groovy site called CoasterForce!!! Our shared embarrassment for the Cast Members trying to amp up the morning crowd faded as we talked immelmann turns, heartline rolls, and world record setting drops. After a quick survey with guest relations (conducted on what had to be a 2nd gen Palm Pilot), the park gates opened, and the mad dash to the rides was on!!
The queue for Lex had already spilled outside the building by the time I arrived. I soon entered a modestly themed indoor queue that quickly overheated. Maintenance crews did their best to combat the heat, but Six Flags would be right in just gutting this building (minus the front facade) during the off season. The Lex Corp Power Armour and propaganda art on the walls are great, but what's missing are views of the ride itself to terrify the waiting riders. It's not until you've exited the building near the load station that you have a awkward view of the tower...
The ride experience itself is epic. First off, I have to show some love to the Ride Ops and staff working opening weekend. They were on point and worked fast to keep the ride moving. I can't comment on similarities to the restraints on Skyrush; these are very comfy but you'll be bumping elbows with the person next to you. Once all the restraints are locked, the ops clear the area and the catch car latches on.
The gondola's climb very slowly out of the load area. As you pass the break block, the lift quickly accelerates providing an unexpected thrill. If the Theme Park Gods are smiling, you'll get Superman escaping from Krypton as you're ascending. The roar of the shuttles THAT CLOSE... The vibrations... The sway of the tower... The LA Times accurately described this as holding on to the outside of a skyscraper during an earthquake. :shock: IT RULES!!!! BWHAHAHAHAH!!!!
The views of the park and surrounding mountains are spectacular, even more so during sunset (had to come back the next day!). It's a wild sight to look down on Goliath's once record breaking 255' drop and continue skyward. When you reach the top, speakers within the tower herald your arrival with ominous music. Lex chimes in, mocking you and this moment as the "highpoint of your insignificant existence."
OH, SNAP!
You know what's gonna happen next, but it still catches you by complete surprise. The gondola wastes little time getting up to speed, but that first taste of momentum is gut wrenchingly delicious. Once at 85mph, I lost any sense of... well, actually; I lost all my senses, but once you're at speed, only the rushing wind and rapidly approaching ground says "you're falling." It's around this point that your freaked out little brain calculates just how long and fast you've been plummeting; that the ground's coming up REALLY FAST; and that your lungs have run out of air to scream!
Hitting the brakes would be a great idea right about now, and this brings us to Lex's third and final act. The magnetic breaking is absolutely brilliant, and might just be my favorite part of the ride The initial stomach lurching jolt is played out slowly in reverse, gently squashing you back into place. No pun intended, but this is the make or brake portion of the ride, and they totally nailed it.
I met up again with Nic and we were just floored by it all. It's a smooth, fast ride that really exceeded my expectations. From here we hiked up to Superman. This was my first time on the revamped coaster and we had front row seats for the ride. It's as fast and fun as I remember, but the reversed launch is a sweet upgrade.
Pressed for time, we took in one more drop on Lex and concluded that Magic Mountain has an insane hit on their hands. The smooth action on Drop of Doom betrays it's "extreme" definition; it doesn't creak like an old woodie, howl like a steel coaster, or beat you unconscious against the restraints. I think Nic said it best saying, "This is one of those times where bigger is definitely better!"
An epic day made legendary with a new friend, and a great site to share the rides with!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCuITb2lbNE[/youtube]
As I waited for the main gates to open, I struck up a conversation with the woman next to me. She said her name was Nic, and she reintroduced me to a groovy site called CoasterForce!!! Our shared embarrassment for the Cast Members trying to amp up the morning crowd faded as we talked immelmann turns, heartline rolls, and world record setting drops. After a quick survey with guest relations (conducted on what had to be a 2nd gen Palm Pilot), the park gates opened, and the mad dash to the rides was on!!
The queue for Lex had already spilled outside the building by the time I arrived. I soon entered a modestly themed indoor queue that quickly overheated. Maintenance crews did their best to combat the heat, but Six Flags would be right in just gutting this building (minus the front facade) during the off season. The Lex Corp Power Armour and propaganda art on the walls are great, but what's missing are views of the ride itself to terrify the waiting riders. It's not until you've exited the building near the load station that you have a awkward view of the tower...
The ride experience itself is epic. First off, I have to show some love to the Ride Ops and staff working opening weekend. They were on point and worked fast to keep the ride moving. I can't comment on similarities to the restraints on Skyrush; these are very comfy but you'll be bumping elbows with the person next to you. Once all the restraints are locked, the ops clear the area and the catch car latches on.
The gondola's climb very slowly out of the load area. As you pass the break block, the lift quickly accelerates providing an unexpected thrill. If the Theme Park Gods are smiling, you'll get Superman escaping from Krypton as you're ascending. The roar of the shuttles THAT CLOSE... The vibrations... The sway of the tower... The LA Times accurately described this as holding on to the outside of a skyscraper during an earthquake. :shock: IT RULES!!!! BWHAHAHAHAH!!!!
The views of the park and surrounding mountains are spectacular, even more so during sunset (had to come back the next day!). It's a wild sight to look down on Goliath's once record breaking 255' drop and continue skyward. When you reach the top, speakers within the tower herald your arrival with ominous music. Lex chimes in, mocking you and this moment as the "highpoint of your insignificant existence."
OH, SNAP!
You know what's gonna happen next, but it still catches you by complete surprise. The gondola wastes little time getting up to speed, but that first taste of momentum is gut wrenchingly delicious. Once at 85mph, I lost any sense of... well, actually; I lost all my senses, but once you're at speed, only the rushing wind and rapidly approaching ground says "you're falling." It's around this point that your freaked out little brain calculates just how long and fast you've been plummeting; that the ground's coming up REALLY FAST; and that your lungs have run out of air to scream!
Hitting the brakes would be a great idea right about now, and this brings us to Lex's third and final act. The magnetic breaking is absolutely brilliant, and might just be my favorite part of the ride The initial stomach lurching jolt is played out slowly in reverse, gently squashing you back into place. No pun intended, but this is the make or brake portion of the ride, and they totally nailed it.
I met up again with Nic and we were just floored by it all. It's a smooth, fast ride that really exceeded my expectations. From here we hiked up to Superman. This was my first time on the revamped coaster and we had front row seats for the ride. It's as fast and fun as I remember, but the reversed launch is a sweet upgrade.
Pressed for time, we took in one more drop on Lex and concluded that Magic Mountain has an insane hit on their hands. The smooth action on Drop of Doom betrays it's "extreme" definition; it doesn't creak like an old woodie, howl like a steel coaster, or beat you unconscious against the restraints. I think Nic said it best saying, "This is one of those times where bigger is definitely better!"
An epic day made legendary with a new friend, and a great site to share the rides with!
